When things were beautiful
by Mr Squidgereen
Summary: A series of short oneshots revolving around the archangels, usually featuring Gabriel. Guest appearances by God, angels, and other characters. Rating varies but will probably stay bellow M.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Gabriel stands by when Michael and Lucifer start fighting. Again.

**Set:** Earth, a few million years ago.

**Warning:** None.

**Pairing:** None.

* * *

They're going at it again.

Arguing, loudly, voices becoming progressively stronger until they're yelling at each other with such intensity that the ground beneath them almost starts to tremble.

They're so caught up with each other that neither of them notices the smaller archangel watching them from his hiding spot up in a tree, concealed by leaves and silent as the dead.

Gabriel loves earth, but rarely gets to come down with his brothers, and never on his own. Unless he sneaks away when nobody's looking, which he's done on a few occasions. But they don't need to know that. They might get angry with him if they did. It isn't safe down there for such a tiny angel, they say.

Some of dad's experiments-gone-wrong are still wandering around, refusing to go down into the hole that was created just for them. Gabriel has never seen one himself, but if his older brothers says they exist then he believes them. Because Lucifer and Michael are always right, and they would never lie to him. But it doesn't stop him Gabriel following them down here anyway when they go on their missions.

Right now, though, he's regretting it.

They're yelling at each other. Gabriel can't pick up on what they're saying, it's all just a bunch of noise to him. After a while Lucifer falls silent. Michael continues raging on for a while, then, eventually, he stops as well. They stare - no, glare - at each other for what feels like an eternity.

Suddenly, with a flutter of wings and a gust of wind sweeping past the morning star and rustling the leaves on Gabriel's tree, Michael is gone.

Lucifer turns around, face blank and void of any emotion, and immediately looks straight in Gabriel's direction. Their eyes meet dead on and the younger archangel flinches, not used to seeing such emptiness in his brothers ice blue orbs and has to look away. It feels too wrong. He unravels his fluffy little wings and he, too, goes back home.

Later on, back in heaven, Michael and Lucifer apologise to each other and then they're back to being friends, laughing and having fun as brothers should, much to Gabriel's delight. He doesn't catch them arguing again for a good long while, but then again, he doesn't sneak down after them anymore either.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary:** Gabriel doesn't want Balthazar to watch their big brothers' fighting.

**Set:** Heaven.

**Warning:** None.

**Pairing:** None.

**Notes:** Dedicated to Nikki. Think you'll recognize this c:

* * *

It was bad enough that Gabriel had had to put up with them arguing constantly - about _every_ silly little thing_ - _since the very day the youngest archangel had been old enough to understand the concept of arguing. But you would think they'd at least have enough sense in them to take it somewhere the rest of their baby siblings didn't have to listen to it.

Michael and Lucifer were yelling at each other, Gabriel and Raphael standing by and watching them in an awkward silence while they waited for their older brothers to get it out of their system so that they could get going down to earth. They'd initially been excited about this mission since it was rare for all four of them to be needed at the same time for something that wasn't an emergency, though now the mostly only wanted to go so they could get it over with as soon as possible.

However, Michael and Lucifer had already been at it for what felt like an eternity, and it didn't seem like they were going to stop within the near future.

Gabriel glanced up from the ground he'd taken to staring at for the last half an hour, to Raphael, who in return sighed and shook his head. He looked like he most of all just wanted to leave, but like Gabriel was too uncomfortably frozen in place, barely daring to make the slightest movement or try to get a word in. The last thing they needed was for the two angry archangels to turn their frustrations on them.

A few curious angels were hiding and observing the scene from a distance. Gabriel sensed their graces all to clearly and wished they would all just _go away_. As much as he loved them all, this was not some sort of show for them to—

Something pulled at his lower wing and he flinched, momentarily forgetting the fight and flipped around quickly to face whatever had somehow been able to sneak up on him undetected. Or, rather, whoever. Gabriel relaxed again with a sigh, wings and shoulder slumping down slightly, at the sight of Balthazar looking up at him with big, confused, pale blue eyes.

"What are you doing here, Balthy?" He asked, crouched down to swoop his little brother up in his arms. "Thought I told you to stay with Joshua."

Balthazar pouted and clinged to him in a way that made Gabriel unable to stop a tiny smile from forming on his face. "Don' wanna." The younger angel said, leaning his head against his brother's shoulder and mumbled against the crook of his neck, "Wanna stay wit you, G'avie!"

Gabriel laughed, threw a look behind them at Lucifer and Michael still fighting and the smile faltered a bit. Balthazar really didn't need to stay and see that. He didn't turn to him but reached out with his grace towards Raphael apologetically, explaining, and received an understanding press of the healer's grace back against his. Gabriel didn't want to escape the scene, knew he should've done something to stop them, knew he had to go on that mission, yet at the same time his entire being was telling him to and he didn't think twice about it after he'd take the first steps away from there. He could deal with the consequences later.

"Wha' are they doin'?" As soon as he noticed his little brother trying to sneak a peek he raised his wings to block Balthazar's line of sight and pulled them somewhere else, to some distant corner of heaven. "Nothing, Balthy." He replied, but the other pushed on stubbornly.

"G'aviel, were they fi'htin?"

"No."

"Can you make 'em stop?"

Gabriel fell silent at that, not sure exactly what to say to make him understand and his mouth formed a thin line out of frustration and regret. Only for a brief second though, as when Balthazar lifted his head from his shoulder to meet his eyes again, Gabriel's lips instantly curled into his trademark smile and he looked down at the tiny angel in his arms. "Forget about those two dummies. What do you say I take you for a flight, huh, buddy?"

The happy squeal he got in response was more than enough confirmation that it was exactly what Balthazar wanted, and Gabriel openly welcomed the distraction. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep his baby brother away from the troubles of the older angels forever, but for the moment he could, so he did, determined not to let Balthazar grow up into the soldier of heaven they expected him to become just yet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary:** Lucifer talkes a walk through the Garden of Eden and comes across something that wasn't there before.

**Set:** Heaven, or more specifically, in Eden.

**Warning:** None.

**Pairing:** None.

* * *

The Garden's name was fitting; Eden, the paradise, the only true _paradise_, that would ever be created. Long after all of their father's other creations would wither and fade away, Eden would still remain, as perfect as ever until the very end of time and space itself. But that was far from now, in a future so distant it might never come, and the minds of the Creator's children were happily oblivious to it. Eden was a place of indescribable beauty and peace, so it was no wonder that The Morning Star found his way here time and time over again.

Lucifer moved gracefully through the Garden, not quite walking as much as he was more… hovering, just barely above the floor. His bright wings looked like they were a part of Eden itself and blended in with the clear white and silvery surroundings of that little part of heaven the archangel knew as well as his own grace. Every turn, every corner, every little detail on each and every unique flower forever imprinted on his mind. Lucifer could tell without a moment's hesitation if something was out of place, if something was missing, or, as in this case, if there was something there that wasn't there before.

Not that it was particularly difficult to notice the tiny bundle of gold-ish fluff radiating an energy that was both strange and familiar; the unmistakable energy from a grace. But not like Michael's firm, yet at the same time somehow gentle, grace, or Raphael's healing and comforting. Not like his own pure, chilly and absolutely glowing grace, either. No, this grace was soft and warm and squishy, so much different from any of the Morning Star's brothers. As he came up closer and pushed with his carefully against it he had to stop himself from not pulling back immediately after he made contact. The gold-ish bundle's grace was so much smaller than his - fragile - But vibrant even as the little ball of fluffy down laid still. Except… it didn't.

Snapping out of whatever trance he'd been in, Lucifer was kneeling by the bundle now. His six white wings were surrounding them both and as looked down at it, finding it had moved one of it's wings to stare right back up at him with big eyes. They stayed like that for a while, neither of them moving, before a smile broke out on Lucifer's face.

The older archangel reached out for the little one, half expecting it to shy away like he remembered Raphael had done the first time Lucifer met him. This one didn't though. Instead it surprised the Morning Star by suddenly pushing up from the ground and slowly moving past his extended hands, putting up whatever effort it could to try and crawl up into his lap and giving a tiny noise of frustration when it failed. Lucifer watched the younger angel with growing amusement, after witnessing a few more failed attempts from the stubborn little thing picked it up and held it to his chest when it was too tired to protest, gave up and snuggled up to him.

"His name is Gabriel." A voice said from behind and Lucifer calmly rose to turn around and face their father who was sporting a smile similar to his. He nodded in acknowledgement, no further explanation needed, and looked from the Creator back down at the archangel in his arms, at _Gabriel_. His little brother.


End file.
